When Elinor Dashwood's (Emma Thompson) father dies, her family's finances are crippled. After the Dashwoods move to a cottage in Devonshire, Elinor's sister Marianne (Kate Winslet) is torn between the handsome John Willoughby (Greg Wise) and the older Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman).
Meanwhile, Elinor's romantic hopes with Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) are hindered due to his prior engagement to someone else. Both Elinor and Marianne strive for love while the circumstances in their lives constantly change.
One of this film’s outstanding qualities is in the way it keeps Austen's authentic voice but with fresh and witty vignettes – proof of the great partnership between screenwriter Emma Thompson – who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for this film – and director Ang Lee who went on to make ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in the following decade.
Besides winning the Best Film Bafta, it also won Best Actress (Thompson) and Best Supporting Actress (Winslet). A true delight.
